My loyal blog followers know that when it comes beach trash and marine debris, I climb to the top rung of my soapbox and shout, loudly. The Ocean Conservancy just released this video recapping the annual “Coastal Clean-up” that they sponsor every fall. Watch it. For me, please. It’s only a minute-and-a-half long. Then, pass it on. Send an email link, share it on your Facebook page, rate it, and Digg it.
Here are a few facts from last year’s cleanup:
* 400,000 volunteers participated
* They collected 6.8 million pounds of trash, like this:
o 11,077 diapers in Phillipines
o 19,504 fishing nets in UK
o 1.4 million cigarette butts in U.S.
A couple months ago, I wrote about “volunteering on vacation” for OutriggerHawaii.com. Since then, Ed Lindsey called me to report a group of Sierra Club members recently spent 14 days on Maui, dedicating three days of each week to him and the Maui Cultural Lands.
People getting involved. People helping people. It’s gratifying. It’s important.
If you’re on Kaua’i this weekend, I encourage you to join Surfrider Kaua’i and help clean up a beach that’s important to the survival of our Hawaiian monk seals: Maha’ulepu. It’s a remote stretch of beach located on Kaua’i’s south side. Don’t worry. If you won’t be on Kaua’i weekend, Surfrider sponsors beach clean-ups all throughout the year, so you can still help, and your help is needed. Alas, I will not be there, because I am already committed to a training day with the Marine Mammal Stranding Team. If you go, please share you experience with me here.
Mahalo nui,
Kim